Spring into Spring

Happy first day of spring! Since the weather is already cooperating I think that we're all long overdue to come out of our New England hibernation.  That includes our offices, so in the spirit of spring let’s get to work.

Spring Cleaning for the Office

1. Grab your Windex and paper towels and get those windows clean! Once clean take the next step and open them up and let that fresh air in! Oh and keep in mind that this should reduce your utilities bill...just wanted to put that out there.
2. Spring is the freshest and most lively time of the year and its time your office space reflected that.  Take the time to clean the walls or maybe even put a fresh coat of paint on to brighten things up.
3. Next complete the illusions with a few plants...and yes I mean real ones.  Its a small investment and it not only brightens the mood of your office, but it also improves the quality of air you and your employees will be breathing all day.
4. Next bring your employees into the mix.  Hand out the Clorox wipes and the file racks and de-clutter all those desks! There is nothing like a clean space to help improve workplace production.
5. While they're at it have them clean out their virtual desktop as well. You know those 75+ identical sales letters that will never be used again? Time to put them in the trash.
6. Now for extra credit.  When you place your next office supply order make sure to order all your employees only bright spring post-it-pads.
7. Extra, Extra Credit: Get involved with a community outreach effort. Say perhaps the City Personnel "Suit Up RI" Imitative. A feel good activity for employees and a tax write-off for owners

Show Me the Love, Not the Money

Big or small the competition for talent in this state is fierce.  The amount of money that could be spent getting, and then keeping, talent certainly can add up quicker than we’d like.  For big budget companies this isn’t an issue, but the rest of need to find more cost effective ways to keep the talent we have without breaking the bank.  Here are some low cost, effective, and fun ways to show your employees just happy you are to have them.

Flextime:  Most businesses need to have set operating hours, but allowing your employees some freedom if they are getting their work done goes a long way.  If someone is getting what needs to be done, done then let them take an hour and go to the dentist. Just ask that you give some notice so you can get coverage.

Summer Schedule:  Lots of businesses amend their typical schedule during the summer months to allow employees to enjoy the weather.  Instead of working 8-5 why not work 8:30-4?  Or give employees a Friday afternoon every month off. 

Canine Friendly: Have an office full of dog lovers?  Let your employees bring their well-behaved pup in every now and again.

Car Care: Who has time to get an oil change? Not me.  Why not arrange for your employees to get their oil changed during business hours and foot the bill?

Lunch, on us: Have a weekly company lunch.  Have it catered and spend some time outside the cubicle with your employees.

Give back: This is a win-win.  Give your employees some paid time off to give back to the community in any volunteer organization like and you’ll get nothing but praise for it too.  Why not go a little further and get the whole office involved in a charitable cause?

Extend the love: Let employees going through major life transitions such as becoming new parents, losing a family member, or separating from a spouse expense up to $300 of food in the first three months.

Get, and stay, fit: Incorporate health and fitness into your company culture.  Provide all your employees with gym memberships and allow them and hour at lunch to use them.  If that doesn’t fit your structure reimburse employees for purchases directly relating to fitness (running shoes, gym memberships, Pilates mats, etc)

All in all there are lots of ways to say thanks for sticking around.  Use some of ours or get creative and come up with whatever works best for your company! Think we missed any big ones?  Let us know because we’re all about saying thanks!

Trend Watch, Office Edition

5 Office Trends to Watch in 2012.

1. Mobile Devices. Is this news? Probably not, however the restrictions on how and when you use them in the work place are decreasing by the day.  Some companies have even gone as far as making workplaces BYOD, or “bring your own device.” My biggest concern with this trend is confidentiality. 
2. Telecommuting. Otherwise known as working from your mobile device off site. According to AARP research the baby boomers are the biggest advocates for this movement.  In many cases its win-win. Telecommuting offers employees more flexible schedules and it offers employers a way to curb office expenses.
3. Open Office Space. Let the creative juices flow! More and more companies are deconstructing the cubicle and creating communal spaces and shared workspaces.  The hope is this will increase the exchange of ideas and lead to improved productivity.
4. Instant Communication. We have already bid adieu to the fax machine, however will we parting ways with email soon as well?  I tend to say no, however more and more people feel that email is a bit slow for communication and find text, social media, and other alternatives faster and more economical.
5. Reverse Mentoring. Now this one is new…and probably is freaking some people out.  Not only are companies having new employees be mentored by longer standing employees, but they are also having younger employees mentor older employees in software and other techy areas.

Every Day is a Vacaction Day

Vacation, you want one, I want one, everyone wants one.  It is what we all spend the rest of the year looking forward to, a time to kick back and relax.  Most companies have a very clear policy on vacation. That policy is that it is limited.  Limited by both the amount of time you are allotted and by how far out you need to put in for permission to use your allotted time. In essence it means that for most people that last minute travel deal to Jamaica that just landed in your inbox is not going to work out.   Now the question becomes should it be able to work out?

Cutting edge start-up companies believe you should be able to take advantage of those deals or even just be able to take a vacation day to do errands without worrying about wasting the precious commodity of vacation time or losing pay.  They in fact believe in unlimited paid vacation days, no strings attached.  I’m sure some of you are now wondering what on earth are these people thinking and even more why are we even humoring this idea.  Well the reason is simple, its work place culture debate. 

What will result in increased productivity for the employer?  The unpredictability of unlimited no strings attached vacation, or the predictability and limitability of structured vacation time.  The pro-unlimited vacation side thinks that it increases productivity for a few simple reasons:

• Happier Employees: allowing people downtime that isn’t so rigidly structure gives them a case to recharge and start every day with a fresh outlook.
• Employees are Adults: your employees are adults and should be treated as such. They know what needs to get done and if they can get it done right in 4 days as opposed to 5, why not let them have that extra day to enjoy?
• It reduces costs: larger companies need the resources to track vacation time.  Without structured vacation time there is no need to track it.
• It Shows Appreciation: your employees make your company run and this is a great way to show them how grateful you are for that.  It will also keep them working hard for you to return the favor.  Companies that practice this format find employees are happy to work extra hours and go above and beyond what needs to be done.
• It’s a Great Recruitment Tool: how many companies offer this? Not many. How many people would love this? Just about everyone. By implementing you would have not only a larger pool of applicants, but also a higher retention rate among those chosen.

As an employer where do you stand? As an employee which environment do you think you would be more successful in?

Bring Your Pet to Work Day, Extended

Perhaps bring your pet to work day should be every day, that’s according to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association at least.  Currently only about 17% of American employers allow animals in the work place, however this movement, particularly in regards to dogs, is building momentum.  Industry leader such as Google, Zynga, and Amazon all have pet friendly work place policies and quickly growing start up seem to be following trend.

Our pets enter the workplace in a variety of different ways.  For Leib Lurie the story was comical, his German Shepard made a daily 1.5 mile trek to his office every day to find him.  Finally Lurie decided it would be easier to take the Shepard with him to work as opposed to having the dog search for him and changed his company’s pet policy.  For other entrepreneurs their canine companions were the other founding partner of their company and therefore the company has grown around them.  In other companies an amended pet friendly policy is a question of the culture the office wishes to portray.  For software company G5, their pet policy is definitely cultural.  They hope to foster a culture which promotes a sense of freedom for their employees and this freedom makes them thrive.

Naysayers may argue that having your canine companion under your desk would be a distraction; however advocates of the movement believe the exact opposite.  Having dogs in the office is believed to foster a safer, friendlier, more collaborative work environment.  According to the survey done by American Pet Products Manufacturers Association companies which allow pets have a lower rate of employee absences and also see a higher percentage of willingness by employees to put in longer hours.   The logic behind this, Debrah Schnackenberg, VP of Emergency Services for the American Humane Association, believes is that “People feel comfortable spending that extra hour or two at the office when they know their dog is right there with them."

Also contributing to the pro-pet office policy argument is that it may generate more employee loyalty for the company as a whole.  In the past two years One Call Now has seen a notable drop in the turnover rate.  Again, why?  Because dogs make people happy, they’re always happy to see you and eternally optimistic.  This attitude is particularly good in high stress work environments.  Our furry friends can not only get a smile on our faces, but also ease the tension in the office.

Obviously a pro-pet policy won’t be a good fit for every employer, however for those that have tossed the idea around or simply would like some extra time with their pets it’s something to consider.